Plymouth Argyle striker Bim Pepple has said he has ‘had all this noise’ before as reports have linked him with a move to multiple clubs, including Lincoln City.
The Canadian striker missed out on a place in their World Cup squad, but has told the BBC that he is happily preparing for life in League One with the Pilgrims, despite all the noise.
Pepple was reported by The Daily Mail to be interesting the Imps, after a standout season where he bagged 18 goals, and looked a hugely physical threat. He scored against City in February as we ran out 4-1 winners, but had to go off at half-time after a collision left him with a nasty eye injury.
He’s now resting up for the summer, doubtless buoyed by his country’s first World Cup point against Bosnia and Herzegovina last night. He’s also factoring out the transfer noise, something he reveals isn’t new to him.
“I’m under contract at Plymouth. I’m enjoying my time there,” Pepple said.
“Obviously, football is crazy; things change, things come and go, but I’ve been in Plymouth during the off-season, and I’m planning on going to pre-season.
“I’m going to be a Plymouth Argyle player; that’s all I can focus on.
“I had all this noise when I was at Southend – at the end of it, I was still playing. I had this noise when I was in Canada playing before Luton came in.
“I’m used to it; I know how to deal with it, and I just look at it as a compliment that ‘wow, I’m doing well enough that people are talking about me.“
Plymouth strikers have attracted a lot of attention this summer, with Lorent Tolaj another who has fallen in the crosshairs of multiple clubs, including Celtic. Pepple has reportedly drawn firm interest from Norwich City, Watford and Portsmouth, with a couple of clubs willing to treble his salary. We were linked as ‘confirmed admirers’ which suggests his name is on a list, but probably not right at the top.
However, it seems the 23-year-old, who cost Plymouth £250,000, rising to £600,00, is happy to stay at Home Park and help get them back into the Championship.
“I think the form that we ended with, if we had that the whole season, I think we would have been automatic promotion,” he added.
“So obviously it’s exciting to see where that can take us and hopefully back to the Championship.”
His comments do suggest he’s happy to stay put, and with the other interest and reports of a tripled salary, I’m not sure the chances of him playing in a Lincoln shirt were ever that good anyway. He’s a strong player, though, and deserves a stab at Championship football.
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